There is no other way to put it. The 2021 college football season has been wacky, weird and upside down for the most part.
Clemson is unranked, Oklahoma fans are calling for a change at quarterback, and both Penn State and Iowa are ranked in the top five. Yet, one thing remains constant — Alabama is a machine.
And as a result, that means someone from Nick Saban’s squad will be in the Heisman conversation.
5.
USC WR Drake London
I was pretty hesitant to start this week’s list off with a wide receiver, especially one on a team that's struggling and won’t be in the mix for a New Years Six bowl game.
But at this point, I can't deny what Drake London is doing for the Trojans.
London is absolutely lighting it up in Graham Harrell’s offense. The Trojans' go-to weapon has cleared 130 receiving yards in every game except one this season and currently leads the country with 670 yards and 48 receptions.
London has also found the end zone four times as well and it is likely he will be relied on once again to find the end zone several times with the heart of the USC schedule coming up.
If you can find Biletnikoff odds anywhere, London is the surefire bet at the moment.
4.
Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III
The nation’s leading rusher was at it again this weekend for Michigan State in Sparty’s 48–31 victory over Western Kentucky. At the end of the season, this will be a game to look back on and realize that Walker III did exactltwhat he needed to do in the Heisman race.
By the end of the contest, Walker had recorded 24 carries for 126 yards and found the end zone three different times. Walker is now up to 680 yards on the ground this year on exactly 100 carries. The 6.8 yards per carry average equates to 136.0 yards per game.
Michigan State has two more games that should be victories in the next two weeks with Rutgers and Indiana before a top-10 matchup with Michigan.
Keep an eye on this price over at WynnBET. It won’t be long before the longshot bargain price is gone for good.
3.
Ole Miss QB Matt Corral (+300)
Ole Miss' loss to Alabama surely hurt Corral’s standing in the Heisman race, but he has already established his position firmly in the mix and should withstand the blemish from this past weekend.
I don’t think anyone holds a loss to Alabama against a potential Heisman contender, especially in a game where Corral was not terrible.
I believe a price of +225 is still valuable for Corral.
The Rebels, though they lost, are still playing very good football, and the numbers for Corral will continue to turn heads. Should Ole Miss defeat Arkansas at home this upcoming weekend, the +200 range will be the highest we will see on Corral for the remainder of the season.
2.
Texas RB Bijan Robinson (+3000)
Yep. It's time. The Texas running back should be in every Heisman conversation this week following a 35-carry, 216 yard performance against TCU this past weekend.
Robinson is a different type of running back, one Texas has not had since the days of Jamaal Charles and Cedric Benson, and it does not take a rocket scientist to understand why Steve Sarkisian is handing the rock to him 35 times in a ball game.
No. 5 in burnt orange and white is leading the country in forced missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus.
As a result, Robinson’s Heisman odds are plummeting on WynnBET, though any value right now is still great value with the way things are looking now.
The Texas running back is now second in the country with 652 rushing yards. Add in 167 yards through the air to go along with nine total touchdowns, and a trip to New York at the end of the year is really looking likely.
Robinson will have a formidable opponent this week against an Oklahoma front seven that has turned a corner lately.
1.
Alabama QB Bryce Young (+120)
While running back Brian Robinson Jr. led the way with four touchdowns in Alabama’s 42–21 victory over Ole Miss, that does not necessarily hurt Young’s Heisman chances.
I mentioned in last week’s article that the quarterback of the winning team in this game was going to get a big boost in the grand scheme of things, and sure enough, it was Young and the Tide by a mile.
Young’s season stat line is already shaping up to be Heisman-worthy with 17 touchdowns to just two interceptions. If his odds ever get back to plus money over on WynnBET, you would be making the smart move to throw some money down on the Alabama quarterback if you haven't already.
Alabama has a road game this weekend against Texas A&M, but with the way the Aggies have been struggling of late, it looks like another prime opportunity for Young to put up some big numbers on prime-time television once again.
